


Not His Name

by Current521



Series: Starkid Writes [22]
Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmates, starkid writes, starkid writes discord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22259791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521
Summary: Soulmates have each other's names on their wrists. They can be covered up — once. Charlotte and Sam have both had theirs covered up since they were very young, and just choose to believe they are each other's soulmates without checking.
Relationships: Charlotte/Sam (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Series: Starkid Writes [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1462579
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49





	Not His Name

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh, weird soulmate AU I came up with, and then this weeks prompts were "memories" and "change" and I thought, why not.  
> Also, fun fact: This fic was loosely inspired by a line in Adelaide's Lament from Guys and Dolls, but I don't have song lyric titles and I wasn't ready to let go of that principle, but if I'd used the lyrics, the title would be "But The Name Ain't His"

Charlotte remembered what her soulmate’s name looked like. Almost. She didn’t remember what it was, just had a vague sense of the black on her wrist, three or four letters, certainly not more. It ended on a consonant, she thought, had a vague memory of the shape of the letter, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.

It didn’t matter. Sam hadn’t wanted to uncover his, because it didn’t matter, and he was right. It didn’t matter, as long as they loved each other, and they did.

Ted asked her why she still had hers covered when she was married. “Don’t you wanna know if it’s the right guy?” He was laying next to her in bed.

“I know,” she replied. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know, deep down.”

“I wouldn’t. Don’t think I’ve met them yet.” He shrugged and held up his hand; a wide leather bracelet covered his wrist. “I never take it off when there are people around, but I know what it says. Needless to say, wasn’t who I thought it was.”

“Why do you say you don’t  _ think _ you’ve met them yet?” Usually Ted got contrarian if she asked too closely, but he’d started the conversation. “I mean, you know their name.”

“I do.” He nodded. “But you know, several people can have the same name, and… Fuck it.” He reached up for the bracelet. He hesitated with his hand on the lock. “Okay, this is probably obvious, but don’t tell anyone.”   
“Of course not.” She smiled. “You don’t have to show me.”

“I know.” He took the bracelet off and held it out his wrist.

“Oh.”   
“Oh.” He smiled softly and put the bracelet back on. “Still sure you don’t wanna uncover yours? Just in case.”   
She looked at her wrist, at the slight outline of the cover. It would be so easy, she had the solution in the nightstand. She’d bought it for in case Sam threatened to leave her, because it had to be Sam, couldn’t be anyone else. “It’s too short,” she said then. “Your name is Theodore. Wouldn’t it say that? It’s only three or four letters, I remember.”

“Isn’t Sam called Samuel?” He was smirking more than smiling now.

Charlotte turned over and didn’t reply. It wasn’t that he was wrong; Sam’s full name  _ was _ Samuel, and if it said Sam, it might as well say Ted, but she refused.

“Okay,” Ted said after a while. “You’ve not said a word for 75 seconds, which means I either really pissed you off, or you’re thinking. Which is it?”

She turned back to face him. “Both.” She kissed him. “Look, Ted, Sam is my soulmate, and I’d prove it to you if I didn’t think he’d be upset that I uncovered it. Keeping the cover means a lot to him, and I don’t wanna hurt him by uncovering it just to prove a point to you.”

“Alright.” He kissed her again. “But you know, maybe ask Sam if he minds if you check. Just for good measure. After all, you never know.”   
“Ted.” She put a hand on his cheek. “Either fuck me or get out of here.”

“I can do that.” He pulled her in and went with option number one, which she knew he would.

Charlotte and Sam ate breakfast together the next morning. She remembered her conversation with Ted the night before. “Sam, baby, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Well, I was thinking… Our tenth anniversary is coming up and well… It might be nice to, you know… Do something special.” She shrugged.   
“I don’t know if I have work.” He looked at her for a few seconds. “It’s Thursday, right?”

She sighed. It shouldn’t surprise her that he’d forgotten, but it still hurt. “Saturday. It’s the tenth.”   
“Right.” He smiled. “I have work in the morning, but maybe we can do something at night, yeah? Go out?”

“Yeah, I was actually thinking…” She took a deep breath and steadied her voice. “I was thinking, maybe we could… Uncover our names? I mean, it’s been ten years, don’t you think it’s time? People think it’s weird, that I’ve been married this long without being sure, and I tell them, I say, I  _ am _ sure because I love you, but you know…”   
“I love you too.” He sighed. “Sure. If it means a lot to you.”   
“Oh.” She hadn’t quite expected that. “Thank you, Sam.”   
“Let’s just do it, I know you keep that bottle in the nightstand.” He pushed his hash browns away. “No need to wait until our anniversary, then I’d rather go out for dinner.”

“Oh… Okay. Sure. Now works.”   
“I’ll get it.” Sam got out of his chair and went to the bedroom.

Charlotte could feel her heart in her throat when Sam returned with the small bottle marked  _ Solution™ _ and rolled up his sleeve. “Do you wanna start then?”   
“Might as well.” He shrugged. “It’s my compromise.” He poured the solution on his wrist, over the cover, and waited. It took maybe 20 seconds, but they were the longest of Charlotte’s life. “There you go.” He held up his wrist for her to see. “You happy?”   
“Thanks Sam.” She smiled. “It means a lot.”

She grabbed the solution, feeling a little better. If Sam’s wrist had her name, there was no reason hers shouldn’t have his. Ted’s must be a different Charlotte, someone he hadn’t met yet.

Twenty seconds later, her dread was back, but much stronger. Because there was no neatly written  _ Sam _ on her wrist. Instead, in a type much smaller than she remembered it, was the name  _ Ted _ .

“Aha.” Sam leaned over the table to look at it. “So what does that mean?”   
“Nothing.” She pulled her sleeve down to cover it and smiled Sam. “It means nothing. You know, I remember, in your wedding vows, you told me that love was more important than soulmates, and that us loving each other meant far more than some stupid words. I remember being unsure then, but this just proves you right. Love is more important, because I love you.”   
Sam looked at her searchingly. It was the first time in years she could remember genuinely feeling like he was  _ seeing _ her. “I love you too. But do me a favour… This Ted, it’s the guy you’re seeing, right?”   
“I don’t—”   
“Charlotte!” He slammed his hand on the table, and she flinched. “Don’t play dumb with me, you cheating whore. I know you’re sleeping with him, God only knows why, but it doesn’t matter. It’s him, right?”   
“I mean, lots of people are called Ted… Technically his name is Theodore, yours would probably have been Samuel, I mean—”   
“No.” Sam shook his head. “No it wouldn’t. Just… Do you love the guy?”   
“No, I— I love  _ you _ Sam, I… I don’t know how this happened.” She glanced at her wrist again. Still Ted. “I love you.”   
“You know…” Sam looked at his wrist. “Lots of people are named Charlotte. Maybe I’m better off finding one of them.”

“No, Sam, please, I love you, I— I don’t wanna be without you, please, just stay.” Charlotte had tears in her eyes and was choking on a sob, but she looked directly at Sam anyway. “Please stay.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Look.” Sam drummed on the table. “Do you think Ted has your name on his wrist? Because if so, I’ll be out of here by our anniversary.”   
“You’re the one who didn’t remember it,” she reminded him, but she nodded. “I know he does.”   
“Then that’s settled.” Sam smiled. Of all the things he could do, he smiled. “I’m leaving, I’m almost late for work. Why don’t you invite him out for dinner on Saturday, then?” He got up and put his plate on the counter.

“Sam, I— Sam?” Charlotte looked at him pleadingly, and he did stop. “I don’t want you to leave. If you want me to stop seeing Ted, I will, I shouldn’t be seeing him in the first place. I just… Please stay.”   
“Charlotte.” Sam sat back down and looked at her. “This is why I didn’t want to uncover them. We’ve been together for almost fourteen years, been married for ten… Imagine all that time with someone who’s truly meant for you, who’s perfect. But so many people don’t meet their soulmate until much later in life, and I didn’t want to risk that, I’d rather just trust that it was you, because I was in love with you and wanted to be with you. But then we got older, grew apart, started cheating… And maybe I wanted to believe we could fix it. But now… No. Then I’d rather go find another Charlotte.” He shook his head and got back up. “Goodbye.”

“Sam?” But this time he didn’t turn around. He just left for work, without another word.

Charlotte sat and stared at her coffee mug for a long time. When she went to bed that evening, she couldn’t even remember how she got to work, or what she’d done while there, but the bed was empty, and her heart ached.

Sam came home in the morning. “I’m just here to get my things.” He smiled. “I won’t take long. You can keep the apartment for now, I have a place to stay, so… Yeah. We’ll figure it out.”   
“Of course.” She forced herself to smile back, even if she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so empty inside. “We always do.”

Sam collected his things, clothes mostly, a few bits and bobs, and then left. He said goodbye and gave her a hug on the way out. It was the kindest he’d acted towards her in years, and Charlotte wondered if he might secretly be relieved to have an excuse to leave her.

She texted Ted.  _ Sam just left. Permanently. _

_ Oh shit. _ Nothing else, just that, until a few seconds later.  _ Do you want me to come over or? _

She didn’t know.  _ Yeah. _

He was there in less than twenty minutes. He let himself in and went to sit on the couch next to her; she’d been there since Sam left. “Hey.” He looked at her, but she didn’t turn. “What’s up?”

“This.” She turned her wrist to show him.

A slow whistle was his only reply for several moments. “Oh.”   
“Oh,” she repeated.

“I’m sorry Sam left. I know how much he means to you.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She looked at him now. “Not if he’s not right. I’ll get over it then.”

“Of course you will, but… That doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.” Ted shrugged. “Did he uncover his too?”

She nodded. “Charlotte.”   
“Oh shit.” Ted smiled. “Well, there are many Charlottes. He’ll find the right one.” Ted took his bracelet off and took her hand, holding their wrists up so both the names showed. “For now… Does this work for you?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I love Sam. I don’t know that I love you.”

“I’ll take it.” Ted shrugged. “For now… How about a date?”

**Author's Note:**

> There might potentially be more chapters in this if I ever feel so inclined, but it's designed to be a oneshot, I just don't know if I'm quite done with this universe.


End file.
